Improvement in life-rafts



.INITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JONATHAN CONE, OF BRISTOL, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEM ENT IN LIFE-RA F TS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,500, dated September 29, 1874; application filed July 2, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONATHAN OoNE, of Bristol, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Life-Rafts, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to produce a light, strong, and buoyant life-raft, capable of withstanding rougher usage than those of ordinary construction, and I attain this object by providing the raft with floats A, each consisting of a central sheet-metal drum, a, separated internally into a number of airtight compartments by transverse partitions e, and surrounded by a mass of cork, b, packed into an outer casing, d, of water-proofed canvas or other suitable fabric, all as shown by the plan view, Figure 1, partly in section, and transverse sectional View, Fig. 2, of the ac companying drawing.

In the present instance, the raft has two floats, A, one at each side, connected together by a strong but light wooden frame-work. B, which may be similar to those used in ordinary life-rafts. The floats are also protected by longitudinal wooden stripsf and are braced and secured to the frame-work by metal bands h, and a life-line, 2', extends entirely around the raft, to which it is secured at shortintervals.

Floats for life-rafts are generally simple airvessels, constructed of sheet-iron plates riveted together, the said plates being necessari. ly heavy, as they are relied upon solely to resist the force of the waves and of solid objects with which they may be brought in contact; hence the rafts are heavy, and difficult to handle, an objection, it will be evident, entirely overcome by the use of my improved floats, in which the air-vessels a can be made of tinned iron or thin galvanized sheet-iron, as they are fully protected from injury by the surrounding mass of cork and the canvas covering, which also add to the buoyancy of the float.

The cork, being of an elastic nature, will also yield to blows which would indent or puncture ordinary sheet-iron, and is a much safer exterior, therefore, than the latter.

I claim as my invention The within-describod float A for life-rafts, the said float consisting of the combination of the inner air-tight core or vessel a, the outer covering b' of water-proofed canvas or other fabric, and the mass of cork d packed between the said vessel and covering, all as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

J. CONE.

Witnesses:

WM. A. STEEL, HARRY SMITH. 

